Social Enterprise

Dr Swaminathan C from Madurai is running a programme called 'Doctors on Wheels', which brings affordable and easy-to-reach healthcare to many elderly people in the city. Here is how the initiative works.

Bindeshwar Pathak — who established the Sulabh Sanitation Movement and founded the Sulabh International Organisation — worked tirelessly to end manual scavenging, improve sanitation, and promote social equality. His efforts changed countless lives in India and other countries.

Sekar Poovarasan from Tamil Nadu started Humanity — a roadside food stall that allows customers to pay whatever they can while the poor eat for free.

CEO Shalabh Mittal of the School for Social Entrepreneurship (SSE) India, a non-profit, shares how they mentor people who want to become changemakers and transform the society around them.

A solar power bank for street vendors? Prerna Wadikar from Bengaluru has built a device using lithium ion technology that makes access to portable energy more affordable.

Abhinav Agarwal and Megha Joshi launched their startup Mittihub last year to connect artisans from Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra and Haryana to sell their handmade terracotta ware without the burden of middlemen, helping them increase their income by 40%.

Shobha Kumari from Ranchi launched Srijan Handicrafts in 1993, to popularise hand-made dolls made using clay, sawdust, and cloth, and showcase India's cultural diversity. In the process, she has also empowered thousands of women from marginal communities.

Married off while pursuing her BEd degree, Gurdev Kaur Deol chose not to cower to rural social constraints and ventured into a unique profession. 25 years later, she is a star entrepreneur in Ludhiana!

"Our oldest lamp, which continues to work, is eight years old. We have bought over 1000 of their solar products,” says a customer.

Today, Subicsha supplies their products to over 2000 small and big stores across Kerala. They are also supporting women from at least 588 SHGs!